A Preliminary Interview
by TexanRose
Summary: Captain Xing entered the estate looking for General Li but soon finds that the object of his mission is much different than what he first imagined.


The soldier greeted the estate steward with a respectful bow, bending at his waist. The bearded man, who was dressed in the finest blue silk, returned the greeting.

"Captain Xing, this way please," instructed the steward, gesturing to the entryway.

The captain followed the man, slowing his large, plodding steps to the unhurried pace of the steward. As he was shown into a receiving room, Captain Xing could not help but notice the enormity of the paneled room or the massive red columns that surrounded the inside of the mansion.

"General Li will be with you in a moment," the steward told him solemnly before re-entering the corridor.

Captain Xing looked around for a moment, taking in the delicately placed silk cushions and the polished oak table. After a moment's thought, he sat himself at the table, formally tucking his legs and feet under him and resting his hands on his thighs. As he waited, the Captain stared out the large window through which the sun shined, brightening up the otherwise dark room, and studied the blooming pink flowers of the orchid tree that grew just on the other side of the building's wall.

Captain Xing was startled out of his thoughts when a petite young woman in pale rose silk entered the room, wearing an orchid in her hair. She had a tray balanced carefully in the palms of her hands and took tiny steps as she descended the two steps from the corridor to the sunken receiving room. She bowed to him as she placed the tray on the table before him. He inclined his head in response as she poured him a steaming cup of tea.

He could not help but notice that she poured in the manner of the Royal Court, her wrist flicking over as she grabbed kettle, arranging his cup so that it sat just so. When she was done, she rose from her seated position and walked backward toward the door, facing him. As she drifted away into the darkened hallways, Captain Xing wondered if he had been waited on by a daughter of the house, instead of a mere servant.

He took a sip of his tea and drank. It warmed his insides pleasantly, shaking off the last bit of the spring chill that clung to him in this northern province. He was half done with his tea when he felt a presence behind him. He turned to find a gray-haired woman studying him intently. She wore golden yellow silk, an honor that the Emperor reserved for a mere handful. Between that and her stern bearing, Captain Xing realized that Lady Li had come to greet him.

He rose from his cushion and bowed to her stiffly in respect. "My lady," he greeted. "May happiness be found in your hearth and health in your home."

Lady Li returned the bow as carefully as her aged bones would allow. "Captain Xing. May you find glory on the battlefield and bring honor to your family."

She walked, her polished cane aiding her, to the place across the table from the Captain before sitting down gracefully among the mound of embroidered cushions. After studying the young man for a moment, she began the conversation. "I can see why my granddaughter is so taken with you."

Xing nearly choked on the sip of tea he was taking. He coughed and tried to cover up his misstep. "I beg your pardon?"

"My granddaughter, Yang Yan Yi, she said you had the single-minded determination of one with a mission." Lady Li looked him over once more. "And you do look very nice in your uniform." Xing looked at her blankly and Lady Li sighed in exasperation. "I allow candidness and truth among the women of my home. I find it brings me great comfort and joy to be among people who say what they think than merely what is expected," she explained. "Perhaps that is not the custom among your own people," she finished delicately.

Xing was silent at the implication. He was a son of a high-ranking nobleman who was also a member of the Emperor's inner circle. He shuddered to think what his father would say about the uncontrolled tongues of the women in the Li house. It would not be pleasant by any stretch of the imagination. "No," he began haltingly. "In my father's house, the women are expected to be seen and not heard."

"Yan Yi said she spoke no words to you but that no words were needed. She claimed that your determination was plain in your eyes. I see now that it is."

"Lady Yang was correct in her observation," replied Xing politely. "I have a need of the upmost importance to speak with General Li."

Lady Li inclined her head in understanding. "I see. The General is occupied with other business right now but will be with you soon."

Xing took a sip of his now-cold tea. "His advice to me at this moment would be invaluable."

Lady Li began to fan herself, taking her delicately painted red fan out of her sleeve. "I find this room rather warm at times," she apologized. "My age sometimes disagrees with the weather." She paused for a moment to look out the window before turning her attention back to her guest. "I spent much of my youth on the road in the ice and snow of the Northern Mountains."

"Is your family of the Yen clan?" asked Xing, hinting that she was a member of the greatest of the northernmost houses.

Lady Li laughed gently, and Xing was surprised to hear that sounded like water tinkling from a fountain, the graceful giggle of a much younger woman. "No," she answered softly. "I am of a minor farming family from the south. I am of the Zhou clan."

"The Han," he stated simply, indicating himself.

Lady Li raised a grey eyebrow. "Impressive," she mused. "It almost makes one wonder what a member of the Han clan is doing as a mere soldier."

Xing narrowed his eyes. "You are very well-educated," he said, his tone almost accusatory.

"Does that offend you?" she asked. "My father and my husband rather appreciated my wide range of interests and skills. I know my way around the Court room and the schoolroom."

Xing's eyes widened with this information. Neither his sisters nor any of his father's wives could read or write. They lived their lives sequestered in the Women's Pavilion of his father's estate. "That is…unusual," he finished carefully.

"In my family, all the women are as educated as the men are. I expected my daughter to read, write, and do everything a son could do. And Yan Yi is as capable as her brother, Xan."

"Everything?" echoed Xing in disbelief.

"Everything," confirmed Lady Li with a mischievous smile. She set down her fan on the table carefully, spread out so that its characters showed, and leaned toward her guest. "And Yan Yi can beat her brother at swordplay, too." Lady Li let that information sink in for a moment before continuing, "What would you say about a woman who can fight like a man?"

Xing swallowed. "It is highly irregular and disproved of by members of the Court and the officers of the Imperial Army."

"Would you allow a woman to fight by your side if she could make you a better warrior?"

Xing hesitated, unsure what Lady Li was speaking of. It was entirely possible that she could have become infirm and of a delicate mind in her old age. Suddenly inspired, Xing smiled. "The Lady General Fa Mulan did such a thing to her country and brought great honor to her family."

The Lady smiled widely. "She did."

"However," Xing articulated, "sometimes I wonder if she even existed, if she was not some national hero made up to explain the defeat of the Huns."

Lady Li frowned. "Ming—my steward," she explained, "—was there the night Fa Mulan defeated the Huns. He was a boy. Shall we ask him his opinion?"

"That is not necessary, my lady," replied Xing, leaning forward in a gesture of respect and submission.

"I see." Lady Li thought for a moment, and frown appeared on the lines of her forehead. "You did not answer my question, Captain. Why is a member of the Han clan a captain in the army?"

"I am the son of my father's second wife," confessed Xing. "My father hopes that I will rise through the ranks and become General-in-Chief of the Imperial Army."

"It would be a great success for him if you succeeded in this and he marries your sister to the Emperor's heir. A great success, indeed." She stroked her chin thoughtfully.

Xing gaped at her in surprise. "My lady?"

Lady Li looked at him carefully. "When you marry, do you plan to take a second wife?"

Xing looked away from her and into the darkened corridor in panic. When he realized that the General would not be making his appearance any time soon, he turned back to his hostess. "I do not plan to marry. The wife of a soldier finds very little peace and very much loneliness."

"You speak from experience," Lady Li told him reprovingly.

"I speak based on what I have heard from others," Xing clarified.

The pair sat silently for a moment before the steward entered the room and whispered in Lady Li's ear. As he left, Lady Li rose from her seat, and Xing did the same.

"The General remains occupied with other business. Would you accompany me into the garden?"

After a respectful bow of obeisance, Xing followed Lady Li down the long corridor and past many empty rooms to the garden, remembering to stay one respectful step behind his hostess. She led him through some of the most impressive rooms of her home before exiting through a rounded doorway and into a large green garden with many colorful flowers. Xing followed Lady Li to a small pond, and she indicated that she wished for him to sit next to her on the bench under the orchid tree. Xing obeyed her request although he was taken aback by her disregard for propriety.

After a moment, he saw what was looking at in the distance, on the other side of the pond. Two coarsely dressed youths, one looking considerably younger than the other, were sparring in the distance. From his vantage point, it looked to Xing as if the younger, slimmer one was winning.

"When my husband and I first retired from the Imperial Court," began Lady Li slowly, "young men came here to receive training. They became some of the finest officers and soldiers in the Imperial Army. But over the last few years, only men close to my family or in some special need, receive their instruction here. These last seven years have been particularly hard on the General."

"I have heard about the death of your daughter. My condolences, Lady Li," said Xing, bowing his head to emphasize his point.

"It is one of the few things in this life that I truly mourn," commented Lady Li, her eyes never leaving the fighters. "But it has given me a special bond with my grandchildren, particularly Yan Yi. I fear she would not have had the liberties I allow on her father's estate."

Xing silently watched the fighting for several minutes, recalling that General Li's son-in-law had been a cousin of the Emperor. "They have been trained very well," he finally replied, genuinely impressed at the sight before him.

Lady Li laughed. "Of course, they have, Captain. Not only is the training received here the best, but those are _my_ grandchildren sparring with each other."

With this revelation, Xing began to watch the swordplay more intently, observing every move of the lethal dance. He noticed that while the older Li grandchild had more power behind his strokes, the younger, although lacking that power, moved with a precision and gracefulness targeted at tiring his opponent.

Lady Li cleared her throat. "You know, Captain, my husband and I spoke all the time about battle strategy and campaigning before his retirement. Perhaps you could enlighten to me as to the nature of your mission."

Xing thought about her request for a moment before concluding that there could be no harm in telling the gentlewoman at least part of what he knew. "There is a rebellion in the Imperial colony of Viet-Nam. The mandarins, as well as the peasants, are rising against us."

Lady Li turned to him for a moment before looking back at the sparring. "That seems hardly the kind of news to bother the General with. Rumors of uprisings are common enough."

"Perhaps," said Xing, weighing her words, "but it must be of a greater urgency than in the past if my father himself gave me this assignment."

"I see," answered Lady Li. She looked at her reflection in the pond. "What is it that you hope the General can do?"

"The General, unlike many of our officers, has been to Viet-Nam. It is hoped that perhaps he can shine some hidden insight to the nature of its people or hidden geography of the land."

"Mhmm," replied Lady Li speculatively although her face betrayed no emotion.

"It looks like the younger is winning," said Xing, changing the subject. Just as he spoke the words, the younger swordsman disarmed the elder, his cap flying off his head as he did so. Unbound hair flowed freely and Xing was suddenly aware of the obviously feminine curves that appeared under the coarse linen outfit.

Lady Li smiled and rose in response. "Yan Yi usually wins against her brother," she commented serenely. She walked around the pond towards her grandchildren, and after a moment's hesitation, Xing followed her. "You know, Captain, I am amazed that a man of your rank and position should not know so basic a fact before coming into my home," she called out matter-of-factly.

"What is that, my lady?" asked Xing politely.

"That the sickness that took my daughter and her husband seven years ago also took my husband." Xing stopped in mid-stride, looking at the back of Lady Li's grey head. When she no longer felt him following, she turned to look at him, primly resting her hands on her cane, her eyes flashing. "I did not say that the general you seek is not here," she chided him, "only that my husband is not."

Dumbly, Xing followed her, unsure of her motives and interest in his business. He watched as she greeted her grandchildren, Yan Yi, who perspired under the yellow sun, vainly trying to get her mass of hair under control, and a red-faced man whom Xing supposed was her brother, Xan. And although he was introduced and formal greetings were exchanged, Xing went numbly through the motions, scandalized at the sight of a lady in men's clothing and the proper Lady Li herself who seemed to have no issue with the arrangement.

At the urging of their grandmother, the two grandchildren began to throw daggers at targets. Although neither quite hit the bulls-eye, they were very close. Xing began to be even more impressed despite himself.

"Would you like to try?" asked Lady Li lazily. "I'm sure Yan Yi would be quite pleased if you did."

Xing did not really want to. He was tired and becoming confused and frustrated with whatever game Lady Li was playing. But out of respect and politeness, he agreed to the contest. He threw three daggers quickly, all falling near the bulls-eye but none quite on target. Suddenly, Xing felt a dagger whoosh past his ear and land in the bulls-eye perfectly. He looked around to see if Yang Xan had thrown it, but could see him nowhere.

"If you are looking for my grandson, Captain," began Lady Li dryly. "He has excused himself to the house."

Becoming even more confused, Xing looked at her in bewilderment. Lady Li sighed. It was a great heavy sigh, betraying her own exasperation and confusion. Yan Yi giggled.

"It was Grandmother who threw the dagger," blurted the young woman. She blushed suddenly when she realized what she had said.

"Lady Li," exclaimed Xing, "surely you—you did not—how could you…" he let the sentence hang, unfinished.

"The General Li you are looking for is here," repeated Lady Li calmly.

As the realization hit, Xing's eyes widened. "But that is not possible..." stuttered Xing. "My lady, surely you are not suggesting…"

Lady Li laughed at him, and Xing's cheeks turned red with embarrassment. "Young one," she scolded him gently, "you are too concerned with your own affairs to realize what is around you. There is no rebellion in Viet-Nam."

"There isn't?" he echoed dumbly.

"You have been brought here under false pretenses," explained Lady Li. "So that I might evaluate your character."

"My character?" he parroted.

"For my granddaughter, of course," replied Lady Li, patiently. "Your father wishes a union between our families. The final decision, however, is up to Yan Yi. I will only have her marry only if she wishes it."

Xing looked over to the lady in question who, although blushing prettily, still held a deadly dagger in her hand.

"Come, my boy," began Lady Li. "You have answered your own questions. Your father wants you to become General-in-Chief of the Imperial Army one day. A marriage that would further that career, aligning one of the noblest families with the granddaughter of one of the most well-known warriors in the history of China…well, that would benefit him greatly." She paused for a moment, and looked at the orchid tree across the pond. "However," she continued shrugging, "I care little for your father's plans. Only if my granddaughter wants you, will you be her husband. Our interview was merely preliminary."

"Grandmother," broke in Yan Yi softly, "it is time for me to dress for dinner."

"Yes, of course," she replied and began walking toward the mansion with her granddaughter. "I expect to see you at dinner, Captain."

He was left to stare at the women at they continued down the path. "General?" he called suddenly.

"Yes?" replied Lady Li politely.

"Are you…," Xing took a deep breath. "Are you _her_?"

"Although most know me as the wife of Li Shang, former General of the Western Armies mother of Li Mei, the wife of Yang Fao, who was a cousin of the Emperor," she took a deep breath, "I am of the Zhou clan of the Fa family, the former General of the Northern Legions."

The women walked away, the twilight bathing them in golden warmth. As they did so, Xing noticed that the cane he assumed Lady Li had used for her balance was merely a tool, perhaps even a weapon if the stories were true.

The stories…As Xing walked back to the mansion far behind the women, lost in thought, he stumbled upon a bright red fan under the orchid tree. It was the same one that Lady Li had used during their earlier interview. He picked it up with the intention of returning it to its owner, a peace offering for the glaring blunders he had made earlier in his visit. But as he opened it, he noticed, for the first time, that the painted calligraphy he had mistaken for the feminine symbols of peace and love, were the more masculine symbols of war and revenge. And painted in the corner, in the most precise and delicate of writing, was a name he had not heard since his days in the nursery. _Mulan_.


End file.
